Carrying device for fishhooks



Sept. I3, 1949. E. E. GREGQRY CARRYING DEVICE FOR FISHHOOKS Fiied Feb.

FIG.I

Flags lNVEN-TOR 'z' Z Gregory Patented Sept. 13, 1949 UNITED sTATEs PATENT oFEicE 2,481,586 CARRYING DEVICE FOR FISHHooKs Eli E. Gregory, Lewisport, Ky. Application February 14, 1948, serial No. 8,348

6 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for supporting and carrying sh hooks, flies, leaders and the like, and its objective is the provision of an improved carrying device which is especially convenient to use.

Various devices, such as tackle boxes, fly books and the like, have heretofore been proposed, and while these are useful in aiording a means for the sherman to carry a considerable supply and variety of fishing lures, iiies, etc., they are not generally considered satisfactory for carrying the flies, hooks, etc., which are immediately in use as when one is wading a stream. Consequently these latter are often carried on the hat, being secured thereto by catching the hooks themselves in the hat band, crown or brim, according to choice and the number of hooks carried.

Carrying the hooks, etc., onY the hat in this manner, however, is not entirely satisfactory for a number of reasons. For ,one thing, it is sometimes annoying to dislodge the barb of the hook from the felt or fabric of the hat; if the barbs are not lirmly embedded in the hat there is the possibility of loss. Also, the carrying of leaders on the hat is not satisfactory because there is no convenient way of tying the loop end of the leader in place.

The primary object of my present invention is to provide a support or carrying device which is constructed to securely hold fish hooks, including snelled hooks, flies, spinners, spoons, plugs, leaders, and the like, securely in place and readily attachable and detachable from the hat band.

Another object of the invention is to provide such device in the form of a hat band which can either be built into the hat, or be made separately and'quickly attached to any hat or cap.

Another object of the invention is to provide a support for snelled hooks, flies, leaders, and the like, which is so constructed that they will be kept in good condition and kinkless so that they will be ready for instant use.

The invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show the invention embodied in a hat band which may be applied to an existing fishing hat or cap. In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the hat band of the present invention and showing the hat in dot and dash outline.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Y Fig. 3 is a View of a modiedrform of attaching 2 device `for the loop ends of the snelled hooks, flies, etc.

Briefly describing the device of the present invention, it comprises a resiliently mounted supporting hook on which the eye of the sh hook or loop of a snelled hook Amay. be engaged, and

a supporting member for the fish hook itself which is composed of two layers of material, the

outer specifically being penetrable by the hook and the inner resisting penetration of the hook. These two layers of material are arranged in the form of a hat band with the resilientreye engaging device mounted thereon. Accordingly, with this arrangement, the eye of the sh hook or snelled hook, etc., is placed on the supporting hook and then the parts are placed under tension and the fish hook is engaged with a convenient part of the hat band. When it is desired, the fish hook may be readily removed `from the hat band by first freeing the hook itself and then removing the eye from its supporting hook.

Referring now to the drawings, the improved sh hook carrying device of theY present invention comprises a base plate or mounting member l, of metal, plastic, or other suitable material, Monel or stainless steel being preferred, which serves as amounting for one or more fish hook supporting means for sliding movement lengthwise of the base plate l. Each of the sh hook supporting means includes a pair of shank portions 3, about one-half inch in length, which have their inner or adjacent ends resiliently connected by helical springs 2, also made of corrosion re-- sisting metal such as Monel, bronze, stainless steel, or the like. The remote or outer end of each shank portion 3 terminates in a hook-shaped portion 4. The shank portions 3 are mounted to slide in small apertures formed respectively in two ears 5 which are bent outwardly from the base or body portion of the mounting I. These ears are aligned lengthwise of the base plate I and are spaced apart approximately 1%;-2 inches or slightly more, so that the length of springs 2 when in contracted position shown in Fig. 2 is about 1/1 inch or slightly more. These springs are made of light gauge but highly resilient wire and preferably several of them are arranged in parallel position on mounting l as shown in Fig. 1.

Mounting l for these tension springs is associated with a hook attaching band 6 which is made of any flexible material which is suitable to receive the points of the hooks without damaging them and from which they may be -readily Vfreed with the fingers. As shown in Fig. 1, hook attaching band 6 is made of fine gauge corrosion In the operation of placing a fishing lure onthe hat band, the loop end of the lure' for eX ample, the loop of the snelled hook 9 shown in Fig. 1, is rst slipped under one of the resiliently mounted hooks Il. Then the lure is pulledto the Band 6 is jof approxiright so as to tension the spring 2 (see rfor exy ample the uppermost of these springs shown .iny

Fig, A1). The hook portion of snelled hook 9 is th'enf'engage'din one of'thewir'e meshes to which' it is adjacent. rIlhis places the gut of thesnelled lfioolrfv under tensionz and itis held under 'tension uritil removed for use. VThu's it is heldin-straight condition' thereby preventing the formation of kinksyor2 entanglement with twigs or other objetsi'l i f If desired,l another'snelledf hookiy-fly; spinner, etclym'ay be attached to the opposite hook 4'of the same springQin which case'the' tension ofv the spring istalrenM by -the` hook 9 instead of by ear 5i In `caseal leader isfto Vbe mounted on' the 1 hat band; ther procedure is1 thefsarne as just described eirceptthat the V leaderv maybe Wound severalv times' around the hat in order' tov takeA uprits length- Then' th'efhoolr` on' the'end of: the leader is-engaged with orieof themeshes 1; Should thefleaderfbe'of suchlength rthat its hoolg: comes opposite' the meta'l'mounting l', the hookmay be engaged'in one ofthe'several apertures Ill-which are provided in the base of the .mountingifor this purpose. The ears' 5 are spacedV vertically from oneanother in order to`perrnit'the`leader to lieY inthefchannels b'etweer''them, thereby allowing` thleader to follow closely the-suriace'voffthe hat band. l l The 'eomp'osite'bandefis made initially of a lengthto'tltyhelargestI si'ze'hat andrnay be cut` o'ifto t' by' the user. The' joint between the twoy endsl ofi this bandf'ris placed* beneath the metalli' mounting land'maybe-made as a'butt'jointasl shown at' I l. The' entire-A h"at`- band' is'` secured in placefoni'the hatby' any convenient meanssuch asfstitc'hing; or the two se-ries of f split pins" l 2* and' I3'. Thesemay'be'inserted throughholes'i'n lugs w'hiohl project f-romf` each end of the mounting and then through holes made in strip 8`V and ,infV

the material of the crown l 4 of the hat;rv The legs of these pins l2andV I3v4 are thenv spread-andv` flattenedV as shown in FigfZ. If, desired@ one end of mounting If :nay bef permanently Vattached tofth`e` band 6` at the factory. It'will be'understood Y thatv otherfasteningy devices such as'rivets' may be usedif desiredinl either' one or both instances.

Referring now tothe modications shown in Fig. 3,"tlie ish nook`supporting meanscomprises pairs of slidable members; the remote ends of Y which are formed into hooks 4d, andthe adjacentA ends of which are" formed'V intV eyes IB* which are riesiliently connected b'ymeans of an elastic'y silient material; 'theV opposite ends offwhich "are received in the eyes ll.- The shankportions'ofv message members'- are armed roside4 aperture's'intwo spaced ears'fa. 'Ihe's'eearsv are- 4 upturned from a mounting la and as shown only' one pair of loop supporting hooks 4a, is provided in each mounting, instead of several as in the mounting l of Fig. 1. These mountings la may bevdistributed in staggered relation around the periphery of the band 6a, 4using as few or as many as desired. They may be held in position in any suitable way as by means of stitching (not shown) applied through` the holes l1. `When the `slidablemembers arepulled avvay from one another vthe eyes IB' engage the ears 5a and form ,stop means which limit the sliding movement of `-the members. Y "Althou'gh' thef invention has been described in particular in oonn'ection'with a hat band it will be understood that the backing strip or 8a may lbe constructed-of` rigid insteadrof iieXible ma terialsshould it be desired to employ the device for 'supporting hooks, etc., in tackle boxes or the like. Y Y

Thep'resenti' inventn may' bel' lised ior supporting ,orcarrying,-not' only-.the hooks previ#` ously mentined which .may-'be made with or without shells, but alsoY for supporting spinners; small spoons, plugs, and wire or braided orig-ut leaders,v andi the device of the-inventionhas the advantage of supporting thesev shing lures in'- good condition; kinkless and: in an orderly andhandy manner so that the fisher-man may' readily'.- use them; Also the'v device maybe builtfintofnew' hats, or as described sold-vas an attachment to: be put on the sherinanis'- favorite fishing hat orcaplf' .Although the invention.:A hasL beeni illustrated. andV describediin connection with t'wo modifica# tions, it will/be' understoodthatl changes other than those -rnentionedmay Vbe made' without I de# parting from the spirit of the invention, its scope" being set' forth in-th'e appended claims.

Iclaim:v f 1. A sh' hook carryingdevice'comprisingE af hat bandbfv operi meshy materialV having secured. thereto atE spacedilocations' slidably-mounted iish hook supporting means, said iisht hook ksupporting means including at-lea'st' two members, each havinga loop at' its adjacehtendanda hook at itsr remote end,V and resilient means'E connectingl the loops together, each hook being. adapted to' receive lvthe eye of Va' iishiiig implement including a fishhook'so thatthe shhooklmay'engagethel mesh and cause expansionl ofthe resilient*means` and slidirigmovement of the' supporting meansrelative tothe band.' Y'

2l A shvhook?'carryingv device asset forthin nclaim'f 1 in Whichlsaid loops are in the form of eyes which provide shoulders which constitute stop m'alnsfor limitg'slidirig' movemerit ofthe:

respectiv'e'supporting" means; Y 3'. A Sh hook'carryng'fdeyice*ats-'Seti 'Orthin claim l` inY which there'- are a=plurality of said slidably-mountedsupporting means `YspacedVv 'apa-r1? transversely of the bandil Y a 1 Y 4. A sh hook carrying? device asset yforth in claim 1 inwhich: said` slid'ably-mountedy supporting meansare mounted ona single base plate.

. 5. Al ssh home carrying device-"as set forni in; Y

ing means are mounted on a single'b'ase plate? havingr outwardlyextendin'gi apertured Y ears through'v whioli said niembesextend forVA sliding movement. s

thereto rbase plate means havingvpairs of spacediv outwardly-extending aperturedf ears ali'g'r'ied.v

lengthwise of the band, the respective pairs of ears being spaced transversely of the band, sh hook supporting means mounted for sliding movement, lengthwise of the band, in the apertures of the respective pairs of aligned ears, said sh hook supporting means including at least two shank portions, each having a hook at its remote end and resilient means connecting together the adjacent ends of said shank portions, hooks at the remote ends of the shank portions each being adapted to receive the eye of a iishing implement including a sh hook so that the fish hook may engage the mesh material and cause expansion of the resilient means and slid- 10 Number The following references are of record in the le of this Ipatent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 1,339,231 Stewart May 4, 1920 1,787,568 Cooke Jan. 6, 1931 2,041,232 Collins May 19, 1936 

